Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41624990›Full record

ArticleScience and technology of advanced materials2026

Distinct macrophage uptake of engineered and biological particles driven by host age and sex.

Riki Toita, Yuki Shimizu, Jeong-Hun Kang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science and technology of advanced materials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Engineering Nanoscale Drug Delivery Systems for Pain.Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Riki ToitaMolecular Biosystems Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Ikeda, Osaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9700-4531
Yuki ShimizuMolecular Biosystems Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0272-5307
Jeong-Hun KangNational Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9229-3063

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Understanding how nano- and microparticles interact with biological systems is essential for advancing the biomedical applications of engineered materials. These interactions are governed not only by the physicochemical properties of the particles - such as size, shape, and surface chemistry - but also by host-specific physiological factors. However, how intrinsic host factors, particularly age and biological sex, affect interactions between immune cells and particles remains poorly understood. In this study, we systematically investigated how these intrinsic host variables influence the cellular uptake of polymeric particles by primary macrophages. Using a library of particles with controlled sizes (25, 250, and 3000 nm) and surface chemistries (unmodified, amine-, and carboxyl-functionalized), as well as with biological particles (bacteria and yeast), we compared uptake efficiencies in macrophages derived from male and female mice of various ages. We observed significant age- and sex-dependent differences in particle internalization. Transcriptomic profiling revealed differentially expressed genes related to receptor-mediated endocytosis and actin cytoskeleton remodeling, suggesting that molecular mechanisms underly these variations. Additionally, protein coronas were formed by incubating polymeric particles with autologous serum, revealing sex-dependent differences in corona composition and resulting macrophage recognition. Our findings highlight the critical interplay between engineered-material properties and host biological variability. Accordingly, this work provides key insights for the rational design of nanomaterials tailored to perform consistently across heterogeneous biological populations, thereby advancing the development of personalized nanomedicine and immunomodulatory materials.

Indexed as

agingbiological sexmacrophagesNanomedicinesRNA-sequptake

Identifiers

PMID41624990
PMCPMC12857665

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.